This is an I-Heart podcast.

And we return to our American stories.

Up next, a story from Art T. Burton, arts and author who writes about an often

overlooked group of people in the Western frontier African Americans. Today, he'll share with us

the story of one of the most beard outlaws in the Indian territory, Cherokee Bill, who terrorized

the area for two years. But before we talk about Bill, let's talk about

his father, George. Let's get into the story. George is very interesting because he was from

Selma, Alabama, and his mother was not enslaved, but she was a concubine of Thornton, Goldsby, who was a very rich plantation

owner. He was in the banking. So when the Civil War started, not being a slave, George was hired

by the Confederate Army.

It was actually at Gittesburg, and I guess at Gittesburg, he felt it was a good time

for him to leave the Confederate side

and went to the Northern side

and was at the Confederate surrender at Appomatics.

George went back to Selma, but there was some issues because some of the Confederate soldiers

recognized George as being at Appomatics in the Union, and they threatened to kill him.

And he left and went to the Indian Territory actually.

And joined the 10th U.S. Calvary Regiment,

which was all-black regiment.

Tain ranked very quickly, he became a sergeant, one of the top sergeants in the 10th Cav.

After being there a while, he did meet a young lady named Ellen,

and she was a laundress for the 10th calf, and they got married.

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